


with friends like ours, anywhere is home

by Anonymous



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Agender Harry, F/M, Girl Direction, M/M, Mermaids, Mild Smut, Multi, Mythical Beings & Creatures, OT5, Polyamory, basically a bundle of ot5 love and defending said love, girl Zayn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-26
Updated: 2015-11-26
Packaged: 2018-05-03 11:22:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5288831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines mermaids as legendary sea creatures who have the head and upper body of a woman and the tail of a fish; which isn't too surprising due to the strict gender roles of the human world that hold them down as a society. Harry refuses to let them be defined by something that means nothing, and together they face the new world with their chins high and legs dry. </p>
<p>Or, </p>
<p>AU in which the five are mermaids with no knowledge of gender roles, anatomy, monogamy, or how they are ever going to find their way through a foreign world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	with friends like ours, anywhere is home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [slashonsleeves](https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashonsleeves/gifts).



> this took an embarrassingly long time to write, so firstly, I apologize for all my delays and motivation-lacking periods. My babes Maddie, Lex, and Charlie can tell you all about that, so shoutout to them for believing in me and supporting me despite being almost two months late. on top of that, shoutout to slashonsleeves for the prompt and making me fall in love with mermaids all over again.
> 
> my title is from The Maine's Another Night On Mars and if you haven't heard it, you can listen here.
> 
> as a quick disclaimer, the work below is purely fiction, as i have no affiliation with One Direction™, and this work is solely for entertainment purposes. with that being said, i hope you enjoy. :)

Harry hates Louis.

Or, at least, they wish they did. They all wish they could muster up the power to hate him, but he spins around on his new-found legs and cracks a smile that none of them could possibly resist. “Come on, it won't be that bad,” Louis assures, no guilt in the knowledge that he brought this upon the five of them. “We'll see the city, we'll dance, and we may even find out what's so special about our new bottom halves.” He winks at Zayn as he says the last part and brings a hand to her cheek, as she seems most irritated by their situation. Harry can't blame her, but also can't help wishing Louis was winking their way, too.

“I miss my bed,” Zayn says with a sigh, her long, dark hair falling quite differently out of water. She walks with her hands in her pockets as every human stares in awe, and Harry is reminded of their teenage theory of how she was originally meant to be a siren. She has definitely lured in her share of mermaids and humans alike, but always denies the possibility. “I’m not a mistake,” was the last thing she said about it, and after that, they decided not to bring it up again.

Liam quietly slips his hand into hers and her complaining ceases, replaced simply by a small smile. There has always been something about the two of them that went a bit deeper than the rest could fathom, despite the fact that Harry can’t imagine a life without the four. Their group has been intact for as long as they can remember; growing up together they were always a force to be reckoned with. You couldn’t mess with one without personally offending each of them. But, with that, what Harry remembers the most is love. Unconditional love. As they grew older, they found no line between friends and lovers, and wouldn’t have believed one even existed if someone had wanted to tell them so.

There’s a chill in the air that settles uneasily beneath their skin, and Harry finds it similar to when the whales would come home, as their mother told them. Every November, when the sun began to sink beneath the waves and their parents were sound asleep, the five, along with all the other kids, would venture to the surface. They sat on rocks and munched coral, discussing legends of the human world. So far, Harry is thinking that the one about how some could morph into creatures of the night is untrue, but they can’t be sure.

Niall leans into Harry with a sigh, murmuring something about how tiring human legs are. Frankly, they couldn’t disagree, leading Harry to wonder if Louis even knew where they were going.

“Of _course_ I know where I’m going, H.” They look up to meet a know-all smirk, no different from the one they admired as a child. Louis continues, pointing above to a sign as he does so, “See? We’re already here.”

“Oh, thank God!” Niall blurts, rushing ahead. Louis grins proudly, a toothy grin which then reflects back on each of their faces. He gestures for Harry to walk with him, immediately bringing an arm around their waist, so close that their legs almost trip over each other. Harry watches his protective countenance curiously, something they hadn’t seen since the time they came face-to-face with a group of irritable squids. There was never a need for protection; their home is a safe one, featuring happiness and love and groups just like theirs. Louis knows something, they conclude, which to them seems plausible. After all, Louis is the only one that has actually been to the human world before now, though he prefers not to speak of that experience.

“Don’t let go of me,” Louis speaks in a rushed whisper, instantly confirming their beliefs..

Behind them, Liam and Zayn seem to catch on and edge themselves closer together. Harry watches Louis closely as he investigates the room, and begins to follow his eyes along the high ceiling and flickering lights. Between bricks sparks an orange entity Harry can’t recognize, though they certainly feel drawn to it. Louis must have noticed, as he whispers a single word; fire. They also notice steel doors that look as if they hadn’t been cleaned in years, watching as they open automatically. Their eyes finally land on Niall, his body sprawled across the floor and his eyes peacefully shut. Louis hurries to pull him up and gently pushes him towards Harry.

“I’ll be right back, stay together,” he orders distractedly, his eyes already focused on the steel doors on the other side of the room. He starts to turn when a thought hits him, pushing him to add, “And for the love of God, please don’t touch the fire. It’s very hot.”

Like children, they all make sounds of realization, nodding quickly to show they understood.

As soon as his body disappears behind the doors, Liam takes control, ushering his friends to a couch. They sit in silence, gripping onto each other with the same thought circling within all of their heads. Niall, unsurprisingly, is the first to voice the thought.

“Should he have gone alone?”

Zayn frowns and pulls herself closer to Niall, positioning herself on his lap with her head resting on his shoulder. She then comforts him with the use of murmurs and neck kisses, the red pigment of her lips leaving traces of her actions for the world to see. Harry catches the gaze of someone behind a desk, their young eyes wide, watching Zayn’s hands with a look Harry isn’t used to. It gave off undeniable bad vibes, and as Louis had merely minutes ago, Harry suddenly feels the need to protect them. They adjust their body so their back is to the desk, acting as a blockade between the stranger and their own life.

“I don’t think he would have let us go with him,” Liam says after a while. The statement rang true in their mind, and Harry wonders if there has ever been a time where Louis couldn’t take full control of a situation. They soon decide that if there has, they haven’t been around to see it.

“Do you think she’s mean?” Harry asks, causing Zayn to stop what she’s doing and turn her head their way. Her eyes narrow, and she looks in between the three to figure out an answer, most likely mentally planning a homicide for anyone who would dare to hurt ‘one of her babies.’

Before anyone could answer, or Zayn could decide to go up to get him herself, the doors open and Louis appears again. He doesn't appear happy, though he hadn’t the last time he came back from visiting either. He walks to them warily, his eyes scanning before taking both Harry and Liam’s arms. Niall and Zayn trail behind, and after Zayn decides Louis has been caused no physical damage, urges Niall to let her ride on his back like a couple they had seen on the way.

Harry nudges Louis, and then again, and starts to a third time when he acknowledges it. “Don’t worry, she gave me money.”

“That’s not what I was worried about.”

“I know.”

His eyes look dark, and Harry let’s it go.

 

-x-

 

Louis is different.

Granted, that should be a good thing, considering his upbringing. Different is great, encouraged, even. Just not like this.

His friends had never cared, though they were of a select few. However, it wasn’t as if anyone ever said anything about it to him. No, they decided it was better to just erase the fact from their heads and carry on as if he was the same as the rest of them.

But he knew otherwise.

He stands as the oldest of his group, therefore none of them remembered the chaos surrounding his own birth. His mother was young and adventurous, or, at least that’s what he’s heard. Now, she seems old and tired, but he supposes he’s a lot different too. But, being as adventurous as she was, she became one of the first ordinary mermaids to venture to the human world.

And that’s not even the best part.

The best part is whilst she was disregarding her family and friends back home in Absconditum, she found herself wanting to be human. She ached for it, and in the end, Louis presumes she got what she wanted. After a few months mixed in with the humans, she met a man of the worst kind, and found herself pregnant, though you know how that bit works. Due to this, she was demanded to live in Absconditum up until after her child was born and found love.

Throughout her pregnancy, she remained bitter and wanted nothing to do with any part of parenting. Even when he hatched, she wouldn’t even look in Louis’ direction, although that wasn’t the main issue at that point anyway. Due to being half-human, Louis had the fortune of being born without gills. This required a quick trip to the surface, and the pleading with an annoyed Poseidon to grant him the opportunity to live with the rest of them despite his mother’s actions.

Zayn arrived a year after Louis’ visit from their god, and the first chance she got, his mother shot back out of the abominable village.

Louis was fifteen the first time he decided to visit her. His grandparents tried to talk him out of it, urging him to stay with them, instead. He figures if they were still around, they could have succeeding in keeping him there this time around. Yet, then, he chose to listen to a bright-eyed Harry who seemed both entranced and terrified by the idea of the human world. He remembers the look on their face when he returned, excitement and longing that he shot down in seconds.

Flash forward six more years and Louis is twenty-one, with the dawning expectation of a family being edged closer with every minute. So close, in fact, that he found himself to have a shorter fuse than usual. It didn’t take very long for it to be set off, and their queen decided as punishment he would have to spend a week with his mother to “learn the consequences of his actions.” With a bit of twisting the truth to save himself from the same outcome as the first time, he managed to get all Zayn, Liam, Niall, and Harry punished, too.

As much as Queen Cassandra would hate to hear it, with both Harry and Liam’s hands in his, it doesn’t feel so much like punishment.

 

-x-

 

“This food is strange,” Liam muses, twirling a red sliver of meat between his fingers. Niall and Louis don’t seem to mind, unbothered as they gnaw away at the triangular substance.

Zayn picks off an anchovy and balances it between her lips, quirking an eyebrow in Liam’s direction. He meets her eyes, watching as they flicker between him and the food perched on the edge of her mouth. After a moment’s hesitation, he leans over and takes half of it into his own, causing her to throw her head back in laughter.

Harry watches their friends curiously, their own mouth full of what everyone else seems to recognize as pizza. Louis felt farther than usual, even with his head pressed against Harry’s thigh. His own legs were outstretched across the bench, forcing the other three to squish together on the opposite side.

“You know, babe, I don’t think it’s that bad,” Louis finally adds in, poking Harry with the silent request for yet another slice.

“Yeah, _you_ wouldn’t,” Liam says absentmindedly, not even realizing the weight of his words as they fall onto everyone else. Zayn must have done something out of Harry’s sight, because Liam’s eyes shoot over to her before he understands what he let out. “Louis, I didn’t―”

“No, it’s fine,” Louis cuts him off, the flatness of his voice seemingly paralyzing. They all watch as he swings his legs back onto the floor and walks from the table, leaving Liam looking like a kicked puppy. Harry waits a beat before getting up to follow Louis, and almost doesn’t notice Liam shadowing his movements. Zayn almost gets up to follow as well, but Niall pulls her back to him, and they sit out this one.

Even on land, Louis moves quickest, and they barely catch up to him before he can lock himself in a bathroom stall.

“Harry, would you…” Liam doesn’t finish, but he gives Harry a look that they understand immediately, so Harry makes their way back out into the main room. On his way back to the table, someone pulls him aside and points back to where Niall has his lips pressed against Zayn’s ear.

“Hey, I know it’s none of my business, but I think he’s making a move on your mate’s girl.”

Harry looks back and forth between the table and the person with their fingers wrapped around their wrist.

“What?”

“The one who you left in the bathroom? They were kissing, weren’t they?”

“So?” Harry tries to make something out of the information, tries to find the fault, yet there’s nothing there. “She’s not _his_ , she’s not anyone’s.”

Something seems to click in the person’s head, yet Harry can’t help thinking that they don’t understand in the slightest. “ _Damn_ ,” they say, laughing and holding their hand up. “Good going, man.”

Harry just stares at them until they lower their hand, and then decides continuing the conversation just isn’t worth it, so they go back to their apparently so-hard-to-understand life. Eventually, Liam and Louis reappear from the bathroom, and Louis leads them from the building with no comment of where they were off to now. Not that it mattered, really. They would follow Louis into hell, if he wanted.

They followed him _here_ , didn’t they?

So they walk together, Harry pressing into Zayn’s side, shielding her from the world. Louis lets himself fall into Liam, and Niall admires the goodness around him on Zayn’s opposite side. And, overall, it feels okay. They’re okay.

 

-x-

 

As it turns out, hotels are dimlit and foreign in the midst of a dimlit and foreign city, and Louis seems to have found an urgency inside himself to attach to each of them. Now, he sits on top of Harry with his lips to their bare chest and his hands exploring everything as if he is running out of time. He claims to know what he’s doing, swearing he watched it happen last time he visited. Harry trusts his claim, and the remaining three sit on an opposite bed with curious eyes and roaming fingers of their own.

Louis’ lips trail from nipples to neck to Harry’s left ear― his favorite, according to his eleven-year old self. Harry trembles slightly beneath him, but for the most part remains still, as instructed. They could feel the heat radiating off of the partnering body, and the only word their mind could process is _need_ as he presses his hips into theirs.

“Lou, _please_ ,” they hear an unfamiliar crack in their voice, and honestly, aren’t too sure what it is they’re asking for. Just, anything.

Louis seems to know, though, and he starts to laugh as his nimble fingers tug at the waistline of Harry’s jeans. They start to ask what he’s doing, but remembers the sincere, “ _Trust me,”_ and decides against it.

His fingers reach an unfamiliar area, and at the slightest touch Harry squirms, only bringing more laughter from the end of the bed. 

“Talk to me, baby,” Louis’ voice sounds much softer from this angle, and Harry’s eyes helplessly watch his hand form a fist around them.

“What do you want me to say?” If they thought their voice sounded bad before, it’s now on a whole other level. Harry figures they don’t mind it, and lets themself relax beneath his touch.

His fist slowly moves up and down, and Harry tries to concentrate instead on the pair of blue eyes and the whispered anything.

So Harry begins to speak, letting whatever comes into their mind tumble out into the open. They don’t think Louis is paying much attention either way, but don’t mind, and ends up circling through half-stories until quickly making it back to how good whatever Louis is doing feels. If they weren’t paying attention, they would have missed the smirk flash on his face before replacing his fist with his mouth.

Moans escape their mouth, and they feel a hand stroking their hair as they completely lose themself. If this is the reason why some refuse to go back home after a trip to the surface, Harry now understands, and reaches down to catch Louis’ hair in his hand.

Zayn must feel left out, fitting herself in and nibbling on Harry’s ear as she grinds herself into their side. To their right, Liam and Niall are engulfed in each other, searching for the pleasure they witnessed so clearly.

Harry feels something happening, though they aren’t sure what, and ends up throwing their head into Zayn’s body as they let everything go. Again, laughter ensues, and Louis makes his way back to Harry’s face where he repeatedly kisses them and whispers, “you did amazing.”

“Lou,” Zayn whines, and in a moment, Louis has her in a position similar to Harry’s. They watch as he whispers sweet nothings to her before letting his fingers stroke her gently. Every now and then, his eyes reach Harry’s and he winks before he presses his mouth back to her. After the fourth wink, Harry can’t take any more, and tells Louis just that.

Zayn moans, paying no mind to their exchanged words, and in that moment Harry feels so much love for her that they can do nothing but kiss her. They do, again and again, falling into her arms to ensure that she can feel everything they did and more. She continues to murmur their names into their mouth, and every time it only makes Harry want to do whatever they can to make sure it never stops.

Yet it does, and as soon as they get the chance, Harry drops down to Louis’ lower half and attempts to mimic whatever he did to them. To be frank, it took Louis by surprise, but he falls back onto the bed and lets himself be taken care of. Zayn disappears, and out of the corner of their eye they see Zayn taking the same route on Liam.

Harry’s mouth moves up and down, and they let instinct do everything for them. Their tongue swirls around and their hand follows the movements of their mouth, as their body reacts to Louis whimpering in a way they could never explain. He whimpers their name over and over, and by the time he lets himself go, Harry can barely hold themself together. So they lie together, Louis slowly kissing himself off of Harry’s lips.

It isn’t long until Niall crosses over to join their situation, lazing between the two as they leave a trail of kisses and hickeys over his body. The two end up taking turns with everything they do to him, their eyes laughing as they notice each other’s swollen lips and heavy breaths. Niall finds his ecstasy and he laughs and moans all the way through it just as Louis had, his fingers reaching for Harry’s to fall into.

Harry feels chills up their spine as Louis leans in close, breathing hushed words into their ear. _“We’re barely getting started.”_

Zayn drags Liam back to them, who seems drunk off his own state, giggling as he kisses Harry’s body. It isn’t as if they hadn’t done that bit before, Harry remembers being fourteen and closed up in a room with Zayn as she taught them “everything they needed to know.” With the memory fresh, Harry decides to return the favor and pulls her by her thighs until they have her positioned on their face. Before doing anything, they consider Louis’ mention of overstimulation, but they can tell she’s still aching for it by the way her toes are digging into their sides and how they only have to flick their tongue once for her to fall into them.

To the right of Harry, they can now hear Louis coaxing Liam softly, before his voice disappears and is simply replaced by wet noises. With their eyes closed, they can’t tell where Niall is, but from the slight pants assume he’s in the midst of the other boys.

“Harry, _Harry_ ,” Zayn’s body trembles along with her voice, and they have to hold her thighs tighter to keep her in place. Moments later, they can taste every bit of her. Harry moves their tongue slower, only to clean her off before gently pushing her down onto the bed. She shivers and pulls herself next to them, whispering love into their neck.

“Babes, are you watching?”

Their eyes follow the sound, leading them to a view of Liam lying flat on his stomach and Louis positioned behind him with a bottle in his hands. He pours out liquid, rubbing it all over Liam and himself. Niall lies by Liam’s head, kissing his forehead lightly and stroking his hair in an attempt of comfort. He catches Harry’s eye and moves to them, gesturing for them to copy Liam’s state. So they do, almost immediately, actually. From their new spot, they can no longer see what Louis is doing, but the noise that comes from Liam is enough to have them aching for whatever it may be.

“I’ll do that next,” Niall reads their mind, and they can hear the sound of the bottle again and can only imagine him rubbing it all over himself. “This is eatable, right, Lou?”

“Edible, yeah.”

Harry pictures Niall with a look of indifference, maybe even shrugging just before they feel his cold fingers prodding them apart, moving inside of them slowly. Harry finds themself gladly echoing Liam, and their hands reach out to hold onto, well, anything. Anything to keep them from falling apart so soon. And still, to their left lies Zayn with her curious eyes, and she murmurs to Harry about how she’s never seen them look so beautiful.

They think she’s probably right.

She moves over and kisses Harry’s lips softly, and trails down to their jaw as Niall continues with his mimicked actions.

And, honestly, what else could they want?

 

-x-

 

So the week goes on, their days consisting of beautiful parks and judging stares, and nights of love and realizations of how the moon stays the same no matter where in the world you are. Liam had mentioned it before, but that was when they were young and only knew the view from Wonder Rock. Seeing it now, they all sit on the floor of the hotel in each other’s arms and figure that in spite of everything, they prefer home.

Louis mentions that he feels home when he’s with them, no matter where that may be.

They agree to that, too.

Halfway through the week, they find themselves in an art museum laughing at strange depictions of their own kind. That is, until, Niall spots a girl with long red hair that reminds him of home, and loses himself in conversation with her. Harry finds themself listening in, impressed by his ability to take control of the conversation until the girl is also head over heels for his character.

It’s enchanting to watch, really.

So they do, and five minutes turns to ten and ten turns to twenty and eventually, they hear a question about Niall’s love life.

At that, he turns to catch Harry’s eye, who simply answers with a shrug.

So Niall whispers something to her that causes her cheeks to pinken, and he then leads his new friend out of the room.

Harry laughs to themself, joining the remaining three as they marvel over something Harry figures even they could do if they wanted. In their sleep, at that.

Human art is strange.

A few pieces down stands a young child with her mother, pulling her dress excitedly to point out how the mermaids are her favorite. She speaks of how one reminds her of someone called Ariel, and Harry laughs quietly to themself as she whispers, “Oh, how I wish they were real.”

Soon, they decide they’ve had enough culture for one afternoon, and return to the lobby just past the towering front doors. The four sit on a bench too small for them, resulting in tangled arms and legs, and Louis finally giving up and sprawling across the top of them. Fifteen more minutes pass, and to pass time Harry retells an entire episode of some cartoon they found on TV the night before.

“...So then after the sponge goes to sleep, it shows the starfish with the box and he’s saying like, ‘Good thing Spongebob didn’t pull the string―’”

Suddenly, Louis sits straight up and covers their mouth with his hand, a single finger over his own lips. Harry starts to protest, mumbling into his skin. “No, did you hear that?”

Harry stops, and they all start to listen for whatever Louis may be talking about. For a moment, they just assume he’s imagining it, until a blond and red blur shoot through the lobby and out the door. They all push themselves up, watching as a security guard runs behind them. They follow him, seeing Niall stumble into the streets as he pulls his jeans back up, in his own fit of laughter. The girl has disappeared, and Harry thinks they catch a glimpse of her turning a corner, but can’t be sure.

“Great, we’re gonna get kicked out of the human world, too,” Liam announces, standing back to watch Louis beat the security guard to Niall, attempting to talk him out of anything rash.

“Funny, it’s usually Louis who gets us kicked out of places,” Zayn tilts her head, watching a shirtless Niall peeking over Louis’ shoulder and grinning sheepishly at the guard. Louis’ reasoning turns to anger, his voice easily overpowering the guard’s. Her head pops back up when the sound of sirens carries over the trees, and swear words tumble from her lips as she pulls Harry and Liam down the stairs with her. “Boys, we’ve gotta go!” She shouts, pushing Niall towards Liam, who proceeds to throw him over his shoulder. Harry gets the memo, and grabs Louis to throw him over their shoulder, as well.

Louis, of course, protests more than Niall, his complaints stretching from how he’s faster on foot to how this is hurting his dignity to how it’s all Niall’s fault, anyway. After a block, they set him back down, and he happily shoots past Zayn and Liam to the front, leading them down various allies and through corner shops until the sirens fade away.

Okay, and yes, _maybe_ considering the circumstances, it shouldn’t be as funny as it is. Harry shouldn’t fall on the floor trying to catch their breath between their constant laughter, and Louis shouldn’t have that proud of a smile across his face. Liam and Zayn shouldn’t be arguing over who ran faster, and Niall shouldn’t be dancing around, chanting about how London just wasn’t ready for them. Yet, they all are. And they don’t feel bad about it, not even in the slightest.

“So how do we get back from here?”

That night, Niall sticks with Zayn, doing things that Lizzie had taught him before they got caught. Harry found it even more impressive than him seducing her, and watches as Zayn falls apart beneath him. Harry and Liam decides to take Louis on, and they slowly work him up until he’s putty in their hands.

They’ll definitely miss this most, Harry thinks, watching the vulnerability in Louis’ state as he shamelessly pleads for more. His hands reach up, clawing at Harry’s back as he tries to steady himself. That only turns Harry on more, and they lean down closer so that Louis’s legs go over their shoulders. The angle shift brings an unearthly whine from Louis, and again he’s clawing at their arms and nearly screaming their name.

Tuesday night, they discovered Louis likes it best when he’s close to someone, and now Harry traps their hands beneath his body and holds him as close as he can while their clock ticks down.

 

-x-

 

They first hear it Friday afternoon, as the sun sinks behind the city and the lamps along the pavement flicker to life. Liam is the first to react, jumping from the ground and urging the others to do the same. “They miss us, don’t you think?" 

The sound occurs again, and Harry closes their eyes to take it in. For a moment, they pity the humans, as they learned that the sound doesn’t register in their brains and they simply take it for wind. Oh, they don’t even know what they’re missing.

No, the sound echoing off the graffitied walls is the sound of their song, and Harry can imagine a pink-tailed Isabella sitting on the edge of Wonder Rock, teaching her baby to mimic the sound. The moon and stars would shine high above them, and Izzy would swear that they would sing along.

Niall twiddles his fingers as he watches the sky, and Harry notices his shrug before he finally answers Liam with, “Don’t know.”

“Me either,” Louis agrees, pushing dirt up with his big toe. He starts to cackle as he successfully lands some on the side of Niall’s mouth, who in return throws a handful back.

Liam seems troubled by their answers, and he sits back down with little reaction to the battle of pulled up earth. “What makes you say that?”

Louis blinks at the sky. “Don’t have anyone to miss me.”

Harry thinks about it, watching the two lads wrestle away any hurt underneath the words, and they begin to think of how much they’d miss them if Harry was the one singing from their place on Wonder Rock.

“I’d miss you.”

“I know.”

They leave that there, choosing not to notice as the voice fades away, leaving only the sound the night life to echo in their ears.

 

-x-

 

The next morning, Harry finds themself stirred awake by the sound of loud voices and snickers, followed quickly by a very familiar angry voice. Their eyes shoot open automatically, and are graced by the sight of Zayn shouting at two larger men. Liam and Louis seem to react faster, and Harry sees them positioned on either side of her before they can pull Niall off the ground.

“What seems to be the problem here, lads?” Louis tilts his head at the towering men, flashing a grin.

_Is he scared of anything?_   Harry wonders, flanking him anyway.

“No problem,” one says, cackling as he reaches out for Zayn a second time. The next things happen way too fast, and Harry isn't sure if they're still dreaming or not.

First, Zayn screams, “You think fucking with girls is funny?!” and jumps on top of him. Though she’s small, she manages to knock the wind out of him, and pins him facedown into the ground.

Second, Louis jumps into action, knocking the other off his feet before he can reach Zayn. Niall rushes behind him, laughing maniacally as he always does when he’s presented with a fight. It’s quite terrifying, honestly, and Harry gapes as he leaps onto the man’s back before he can get back to Louis.

Liam heads straight to Zayn’s aid, pulling her off the man whose face she’d practically bashed in. He yanks the man up immediately after, holding him by his collar as Zayn continues to shout obscenities and insults Harry has never heard in their life. The man moves his hand to grab at Liam, only for Zayn to tackle him again.

Harry looks back to Niall and Louis just as Niall lands on his stomach, and the man shouts, “I’m not scared of some fucking twinks.” And, well, Harry’s not too sure what it means, but the hate in his eyes doesn’t rest well in them. Before they can think about it, Harry lands a punch straight to the man’s nose. The power sent him stumbling, and the strike was apparently hard enough for him to decide that the fight isn’t worth it anymore.

Harry turns back to see Louis sitting on the ground, smirking despite the blood dripping from his swollen lip. Behind him, Zayn and Liam had sent the first man running off, and Niall is jumping around, adrenaline pouring out of him.

Harry sits in front of Louis, tilting his chin up to see his lip more clearly. Liam plops back down on their side, watching Harry drag his thumb across the blood.

“Not gonna lie, babe, this is pretty gross,” Harry says with a laugh, holding his bloody thumb up to Louis’ face.

“You know you still wanna kiss me,” Louis teases, leaning forward, almost challenging Harry to do just that.

Yet, Niall beats him to it, bending over his shoulder to plant a sideways kiss right onto the wound. As soon as he pulls away, he sticks his tongue out and gags, mumbling about “damned blood” and such. And just like that, they’re okay again. Zayn lies her head onto Liam’s shoulder and cracks jokes, and everything is fine.

 

-x-

 

Sunday night, the five sit on the edge of the canal together, their feet dangling in the water. “So we just wait?” Niall had asked when they first arrived, rhythmically tapping his fingers on the bank.

Louis swears it’ll be as quick as the first time, and legs will turn into tails faster than they can blink. He also says that they will have to move fast if they want to be home by morning. Harry can already see Liam putting everything he has into beating Louis there, while the remaining three daddle behind.

“Do you think we’ll ever come back?” Zayn asks now, her hand intertwined in Harry’s.

“Probably,” they answer, choosing not to wait on Louis this time. That answer seems to be enough for Zayn, as she pulls them closer to her. Harry leans over to her ear, and whispers, “I’d miss making you moan too much,” sending her into a fit of embarrassed coughs.

It quickly turns into a restless night, featuring grabby hands and pink skies and the sound of a guitar drifting from the window of a pub at the top of the hill. In the end, they tangle themselves into each other, transforming into a cluster of limbs and laughter.

Louis is first.

It’s no surprise, considering the facts that he is the oldest of the group, and his feet were deepest in the water. Just as the sun sinks beneath the waves, he turns to hush their simple chatter and point out the scales forming on his legs. Zayn becomes giddy the second she sees her legs doing the same, and the rest are quick to follow. Harry watches with wide eyes as their own sun-like scales replace the flesh. They lean back with closed eyes, legs held tightly together. A second passes, and then a few more after that, before their eyes pop back open.

Just as they fall into the water, they catch a glimpse of Niall, flicking his earthly green tail towards the sky as they plunge under.

The first breath back felt almost as familiar as the people around them.

 

-x-

 

“Do you think you’ve learned your lesson?”

By this point, Harry doesn't even recall what they supposedly did in the first place, and finds themself glancing towards the others to see if they show any signs of recollection. Louis only shows a remorseful smile, nodding towards Cassandra.

“It’s horrid out there, Cass, I don't know how they live with themselves,” he lies through his teeth. Harry fidgets, forcing his lips to remain in a straight line.

“Tell me about it,” she agrees, leaning back in her throne, her icy blue tail whooshing up with her. Niall nudges Harry.

“We’re just happy to be home,” Liam adds, flashing a toothy grin for support. She nods back at them, and sends them on their way.

Hand-in-hand, they swim from the building, and Liam's word echo within Harry's head.  _Happy to be home._

Harry looks around, from Louis swimming backwards as he taunts Zayn, to Liam asking a crab if he's lost, and to Niall, whose eyes are watching their own.

"Weren't we home the whole time?"

Niall nods, the light in his eyes almost bursting as he declares, "Never left."

_Happy to be home._

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!!! 
> 
> i know it's not much, but this fic is lowkey my baby and i'm very proud of myself for coming through and making it what i wanted to be. i hope you liked it, because I love every single one of you. ❤❤❤


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